le gusto
/le ɡusto/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "he likes me" is le gusto.
This phrase is used when a man has a romantic interest in the speaker.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, A él le caigo copado is an informal way to indicate that someone likes you.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding a él at the end of le gusto is used to clarify that the person being liked is a male, especially if the context is not already clear.
How do you pronounce it?
/le ɡusto/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say él me gusta to mean "he likes me," but in Spanish, él me gusta actually means "I like him."
Did you know?
- While le gusto expresses romantic interest, saying me cae bien is the standard way to say you like someone as a friend. The verb caer literally means 'to fall', suggesting the person 'fell' well in your estimation.
- The word gusto shares an ancestor with the English word 'taste'. Both stems trace back to the Latin 'gustus', which originally referred to the physical sensation of tasting food.
- If you use gustar to describe a person, you are almost always making a romantic or sexual declaration. To express that you simply enjoy someone's company or personality without attraction, you must use different verbs like caer bien.
Examples in context
- Le gusto, y él a mí.He likes me and I like him too.This example shows how to express mutual liking using le gusto.Tatoeba #2246931 by Shishir, translation #2234895 by Hybrid
- Sé que le gusto a él.I know he likes me.This sentence is useful for expressing certainty about his interest using le gusto.Tatoeba #10060745 by manufrutos, translation #3001015 by Hybrid
- Él me gusta y yo le gusto a él.I like him and he likes me.This sentence illustrates how to express mutual interest between two people using le gusto.Tatoeba #8346015 by diegohn, translation #5815997 by Hybrid
- La doctora dijo que él tiene interés en mí.The doctor said that he likes me.
- A él le gusto, pero no sé si quiero tener una relación con él.He likes me, but I don't know if I want to have a relationship with him.
- A él le caigo bien porque tenemos muchas cosas en común.He likes me because we have a lot in common.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía is talking to Daniel about a guy she knows.
- DanielCreo que ese chico quiere salir contigo.I think that guy wants to go out with you.
- LucíaSí, ya sé que le gusto.Yes, I already know he likes me.
- Daniel¿Y a ti te gusta él?And do you like him?
- LucíaNo estoy muy segura todavía.I'm not very sure yet.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gusto, le, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
